The red plant

"The Red Plant" by Lucy Ellen Guernsey is a children's moralistic fiction story, likely written in the early 1870s. The narrative revolves around themes of honesty, temptation, and friendship as it follows the story of a young girl, Flora Lester, who succumbs to the temptation of stealing a beautiful red plant from her wealthy neighbor, Mrs. Hausen. The book delves into Flora's moral struggles and her journey toward making amends for her actions. In the story, Flora admires Mrs. Hausen's exquisite garden and, driven by envy and a desire for beauty, takes a vibrant red Coleus plant without permission. However, once she recognizes the gravity of her actions, she decides to return the plant and confess. Unfortunately, before she can do so, the plant is stolen from her hiding place. The plot thickens as Flora faces accusations of theft when Tilly Mansfield, a fellow student, misplaces her watch and wrongly blames Flora, leading to a series of misunderstandings and the need for reconciliation. Through Flora's experiences, the book conveys important lessons about accountability, the impact of envy, and the value of forgiveness and integrity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Lucy Ellen Guernsey was a 19th-century American author who lived in Rochester, New York. She was a strong proponent of early education and moral development in children, although she never had children of her own. Throughout her most productive years (1855–85) she wrote over 60 novels, most of which were published by the American Sunday School Union. She was an active member of the Rochester community; she founded the first sewing school for working-class children and was involved establishing the Home for Aged Women. She edited a popular religious publication, The Parish Visitor, taught an adult biblical class for Sunday School, and was the president of the Christ Church Missionary Society (1881–85).